"Are you ready?"

+ Controls allow for matches to be fresh
+ Insanely large arsenal of moves to choose from
+ Customization is an insane amount of fun in itself
+ MyFaction is better expanded upon with Live Events

- Graphics can be inconsistent between models, especially MyRise
- The balance between budget and Stamina consumption in MyGM can be frustrating
- Quick Match in MyFaction is rarely populated

The fun systems are largely the same, but this edition takes a half-step back from 2K22 in a couple of noticeable ways.

The roster is not as good as last year's, which is hardly the game's fault, but there's less fun to be had in playing around with all the available wrestlers when you're not exactly jazzed about half of them. The AI is fine but dumb in a couple of crucial places (ie. multi-man scenarios), and there's a couple of instances where certain special moves are nigh-impossible to pull off accurately (ie. Tyler Bate and Joe Gacy's signatures), which takes away from the fun here and there.

Slow-downs on PS4 are noticeable and frustrating, especially in multi-man matches. Game plays fine up to 6-man and then hits the brakes upward of that, which makes playing those modes just a tiny bit more frustrating.

As it's the main part of the game that I play, MyFaction this year feels like a bit of a sleepier rollout compared to last year. A distinct lack of Evolution cards and repetition of un-fun match types make the mode feel like a bit more of a drag. I wasn't as inspired to play through the single-player modes either, as they feel overly long and rely too heavily on the CAW suite, which I'm not interested in.

I still logged dozens and dozens of hours into this over the year, so I can't say I didn't get my money's worth, but I'm not nearly as into it as I was for 2K22.

Pros
- Impressive amount of content on offer.
- Insanely crisp visuals and presentation.
- Another strong offering from the Showcase mode.
- Huge roster of wrestlers old, new and present.
- Controls felt good and familiar.
- War Games was a lot of fun and a great addition to the series.

Cons
- Some modes were shallow and lacked depth.
- Not enough variety in match types compared to older entries.
- Universe mode hasn't advanced as much as i'd of liked.

Storylines are garbage. The amount of time you spend Europe, Mexico, Japan, etc and are still called "The Lock" is horrendous and a time waster. The Woman's story line was surprisingly done way better considering WWE really doesn't care much about their women's division. The game play has changed into almost an arcade fighter type set up. It felt like I had to memorize button combos to pull off moves. Some may like it, some may dislike it. Personally I am in the middle when it comes to such controls. Its alright, but the career mode needs an overhaul.

This game is currently in the Humble Choice for November 2023, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before December 5th, 2023, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.

Wrestling and Microtransactions. Of Course.

WWE 2K23 tries to remind players of why wrestling is big. It has all the big bright larger-than-life experiences that fans might want. The loud personalities, the big events, and the amazing spectacle, and in the right moment you’ll get caught up in it and see amazing stunts. While the controls feel almost like suggestions at times, it’s still awe-inspiring to see your chosen wrestlers dominate in the ring.

But the problem is there are so many negatives. There’s a whole microtransaction mode, but because of that mode, every character has a rating and a stat for the card. Very little feels custom, so when Hulk Hogan fights Andre the Giant, his size and weight aren’t accounted for. There’s also a lot of advertising like just the Snickers logo plastered everywhere because they sponsored Wrestlemania.

Pick this up if you love the spectacle of wrestling. You’ll buy this for the spectacle though, the rest of it is fine, but it’s just fine. However, for modern Wrestling fans, you probably already have this. For fans of the Legends of Wrestling, I’m sure there’s a better game out there than this. This just feels so gross with the microtransactions, and everything being a card, and there’s a lot of itemization even if not everything is paid for by cash. And yeah, that’s a modern game, or a modern sports game, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore or praise a game for diving into those practices.

If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/NSoVlkgy0D0